Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 12 playbooks
Breakdown
Smash Drive Texans vs Detroit is a pass concept out of Shotgun Wing Stack 12 personnel that combines a smash concept to one side with a drive/cross concept to the other. The play side (right) shows a corner route from the outside receiver sitting behind a flat route from the inside slot for the classic smash high low read, while the backside runs a deep dig or drive route breaking underneath a corner route stacked over it, giving you a two level read on both sides of the field. This is primarily a zone beater built to attack Cover 2 and Cover 4 shells by stretching the safeties vertically and the corners horizontally, with the primary read starting on the smash side flat to corner combo before working back to the backside drive route.
Defensive Reads
Identify two deep safeties pre snap since Cover 2 and Cover 4 shells are exactly what this play is designed to exploit with the smash combo. Watch the flat defender post snap, if he sinks too deep trying to cover the corner route the flat route will be wide open for an easy completion. Key the backside linebacker drop on the drive route, if he widens to cover the flat or gets pulled by play action the drive route will settle into a soft window. Man coverage with a hard blitz is the biggest threat to this play since it removes natural zone spacing and forces the quarterback to throw into tighter windows quickly. Watch for a user controlled safety flying down to jump the corner route, if you see that the backside drive route becomes the better outlet.
Usage Tips
Check pre snap for two deep safeties before the snap since this play is built to punish Cover 2 and Cover 4 shells with the smash concept on the right.
Start your read on the flat route to bait underneath defenders, then work up to the corner route if the cornerback sinks into the flat.
If the defense shows man coverage, hot route the flat route to a quicker option or work the backside drive route since it can separate against man leverage.
Use this play on second and medium or third and long when you need to attack both underneath zones and deep half safeties in the same snap.
Pair this call with Double Corner or Four Verticals from the same set so defenses cannot sit on the smash concept once they have seen it once.
